Sinkhole that forced school closure caused by flawed storm drain system

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OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Just a few months after E. G. Garrison Elementary School temporarily closed due to sinkholes on campus, Oceanside parents got an update Wednesday on the status of their kids’ school.

District officials told parents that a geologist determined the root of the problem was in the storm drain system running beneath the campus.

Before the entire system can be replaced, the district must first open a 60-day window for companies to bid for the work, then assess the amount of work to be done and the costs.

Depending on how much work is involved, it’s still unclear if the school will open its doors again.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” local parent Martha Piñon said. “I have four kids, so it’s going to be a disaster if they decide not to open back up again.”

After the sinkholes forced the closure of Garrison Elementary at the end of the summer, more than 300 students were transferred to San Luis Rey Elementary School while the problem was sorted out. In the meantime, students who were once a short walking distance from Garrison Elementary are having to commute to San Luis Rey for at least the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.

The district plans to provide their next substantial update on the status of the repairs by the end of January 2020.